Yes, you do! All drug charges, whether pending in state or federal court, are criminal in nature. These matters have serious financial and economic implications beyond the fines and costs assessed by the Court. For a large number of men and women, this drug charge is their first experience with the United States legal system. This is a system with complex rules and procedures. An attorney knows how to navigate the law, the rules and the court procedures. An experienced lawyer knows the law, as well as the procedures of the court.
Many drug defenses involve complex and technical issues, sometimes...

Yes. In Virginia, under certain circumstances a person charged with a criminal offense may remove the police and court records relating to the charge. An expungement of an arrest record requires filing of a petition with the Court.
An expungement can only be granted if either:
(a) the individual was acquitted of the offense (i.e. found not guilty),
(b) the prosecutor requested the court to dismiss the charge, or
(c) the charge must have been “otherwise dismissed”. Even if the case was dismissed by the court, an expungement will not be granted if the individual pled guilty to the offense or the Court found...

Why are you being charged if the drug that you had in your possession is not on the list of banned drugs?
The various schedules prohibiting certain drugs don’t always list the common or popular name of different substances. Sometimes the schedules list the scientific name of the prohibited substance. For example, a specific drug may not be listed on any of the schedules. Instead, the substances which are contained within the substance may be listed on the schedules. As you can see, in order to determine the potential for your defense, your attorney has to understand some of the chemistry...

Summer in Northern Virginia means the start of the concert season at the Wolftrap National Park for the Performing Arts.
For individuals that attend concerts and events at Wolftrap, it is important to realize that Wolftrap is not your ordinary concert venue. Unlike Jiffy Lube Live or the Patriot Center, Wolftrap is considered a “federal enclave”. This means that any conduct at Wolftrap that leads to criminal charges can result in those charges being filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division and not necessarily in the state courts of Fairfax County. Depending upon...

On January 13, 2011, the Virginia Supreme Court handed down two opinions that should prove to be of immense benefit to criminal defense lawyers.
In the first opinion, Roseborough v. Commonwealth, Record No. 100507, the Virginia Supreme Court held that the Virginia Implied Consent law is implicated in all circumstances where a defendant accused of drunk driving is asked to submit to a breath test. In this case, the Supreme Court found that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence a Certificate of Analysis because the officer had made an invalid warrantless arrest. Consequently, the logic of the holding will...

Summer in Northern Virginia is synonymous with the start of the concert season at the Wolftrap National Park for the Performing Arts.
It is also the time of year when area residents plan to camp in the Prince William National Forest and take weekend drives along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Unlike Jiffy Lube Live, the Patriot Center, and the multitude of state parks in the Northern Virginia area, Wolftrap, the Prince William National Forest and the GW Parkway are “federal enclaves”. This means that misconduct at these venues can result in facing criminal charges in the United States District Court...

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This website may contain cumulative and specific case results of matters handled by the lawyers from Gross, Romanick, Dean & DeSimone, P.C. Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case undertaken by the law firm.